Review: Sandra Prinsloo is masterful in MASTER CLASS at Theatre On The Bay

I should probably start this review by stating that I am a huge fan of Sandra Prinsloo and the play MASTER CLASS. When I heard the two would be coming together this year - I was incredibly excited. I'm even more excited to tell you that this production is one for the history books. Prinsloo is simply masterful in her performance as Maria Callas.

The play is a great piece of writing. It's somehow feels like both a one-woman show and not because there are several characters on stage who are integral to the action and narrative. It's also a play where the audience gets to be voyeur and part of the story. Playwright Terrence McNally is a genius, in my opinion.

The action is set in a lecture room and is based on actual master classes that Callas gave at Julliard in New York in 1971. The auditorium lights are left on as first the pianist (brilliantly played by José Dias - his comic timing is excellent) enters and then, the diva herself arrives and addresses the audience directly as if we were there to take part in and learn from the master class.

Since this play is meant to be a master class, there are interjections or vignettes where students come in - played by singers from Cape Town Opera. The character of Callas critiques them and then she gets swept away by the music into almost dreamlike monologues, giving us glimpses into the character's psyche. This is the part where the audience becomes the voyeur rather than part of the show. This is also where Prinsloo was sublime to watch - completely uninhibited and emotionally vulnerable.

The combination of live singing from the three actual opera singers (Alida Scheepers, Brittany Smith and Tylor Lamani) and recordings of Callas from her glory days was spine tingling. Added to this were some gorgeous video projections of Callas and her life as a performer and a celebrity, put together by Kirsti Cumming and Magdalene Minnaar. It felt like we were being transported from the classroom into Callas' memories and back again.

I think it's safe to say that MASTER CLASS by Cape Town Opera and Pieter Toerien Productions, directed by Magdalene Minnaar, is a must-see!

MASTER CLASS is on at Theatre on the Bay in Cape Town until 11 March and then it moves to Montecasino in Johannesburg 15 March - 2 April. Tickets are available through Webtickets and range between R150-R280.

Photo credit: Annène van Eeden

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